Registration Open! Discovering Community Summer Institute 2017

Registration is now open for our 2017 Discovering Community Summer Institute for educators, June 26-29.

Our Discovering Community Summer Institute introduces educators to the methods of ethnographic field research and the techniques of documentary media-making and digital storytelling as a means to facilitate meaningful student involvement with the communities in which they live. Working with community resources and digital media tools represent rich opportunities for personalized, student-led learning experiences—with the capacity to engage both high-performing and at-risk students. This student-directed research model facilitates the development of transferable skills such as clear and effective communication, responsible and involved citizenship, creative and practical problem solving, and informed and integrative thinking.

The Discovering Community model gets students out of their classrooms to learn from their diverse communities using media-making tools to document and ultimately share their experiences. It supports educators in providing the context for students to achieve required proficiencies through real-life learning, and holds the potential to promote personal growth by deepening students’ understanding of themselves and others. It can also enhance students’ sense of identification with, and caring for, their home community and help to ensure their future involvement in its civic life.